Page 26 of The Cowboy’s Secret Lover

“First,” said Faith, guessing what Steve was about to say. “Being hooked up to an IV is no way to live a life.”

“Correct. Second, is that the liver can’t process these medications for very long.”

“What’s very long?” Kurt asked.

“A few weeks,” said Steve. “Maybe a month.”

Kurt pushed his hat higher on his brow and muttered a curse.

“What else can we do?” Faith asked.

“For now,” said Steve. “There isn’t much. She’ll be moved out the critical care unit in the morning. Then you can come and see her whenever you like.”

“Thanks, Steve,” said Kurt. He offered the other man his palm. As the two shook hands, he continued. “You’ll call if anything changes?”

“Absolutely.”

Then, Faith and Kurt left the critical care unit and began to walk toward the elevators.

“I guess that means I’m spending the night in one of the lounges,” said Kurt.

“You won’t get any sleep in the hospital,” said Faith. “After everything, you need to rest as well.”

“I’m not going back to the ranch. It’s too far away,” said Kurt. “If there’s an emergency, I want to be here.”

“I have a better idea,” said Faith. “You can come home with me. My aunt only lives a few blocks away.”

“I can’t intrude in the middle of the night,” said Kurt.

“She’d insist if she knew.”

“I don’t know…”

“I do,” said Faith, interrupting. “Stop being stubborn and come over. It makes sense and you know it.”

Kurt nodded. “Okay, sure.” He paused a beat and added. “Thanks.”

Without speaking, they left the hospital and found Kurt’s truck in the employee lot. From there, the drive took a few minutes and Faith pulled up next to her aunt’s house. With two-story’s, a gabled roof and a wrap-around porch, the home had been built in the late 1800’s by Faith’s great-great grandfather, a former mayor of Bear Creek.

For Faith this place was her constant—her North Star, and home.

“I’ve always liked this house,” said Kurt. “When we were in school, it intimidated me that you lived here.”

“When we were kids everyone judged me on this house, or my dad’s job, or my mom’s social position in town. Most folks didn’t take time to find out if I was really who they thought I was—a spoiled, rich kid.” Faith paused and placed the gearshift into park. “I suppose that’s why, when I went away to college, I never bothered to look back. I wanted to be my own person. Heck, I wanted to meet different people—people who’d never heard of Bear Creek—and most definitely folks who had never lived here. After the divorce, I just started to travel.”

“Did you find all the interesting people you wanted to find?”

“To be honest, I’m not even sure who I was looking for in the first place.”

“If it makes any difference,” said Kurt. He leaned his elbow on the console between the seat. His hand dangled over the edge. His fingertips were dangerously close to touching her thigh. “I’m glad that you’re back.”

“I’m glad to be back.” Her lips tingled. Was he about to kiss her again? Who was she kidding? Kurt wasn’t worried about romance—or even sex. He was a father, concerned only with what could be done to save his daughter’s life. She dropped her gaze and pulled the keys from the ignition. Holding them out for Kurt, she said, “Let’s get inside.”

His fingers brushed her hand as he collected the keys. A shiver of excitement danced along her arm and she tried to ignore her reaction.

“Thanks again,” he said. “This is awful kind of you.”

She waved away his gratitude. Opening her mouth, she was ready to ask what were friends for? Were they friends? She wasn’t sure how to define their relationship. They’d become lovers again, but there was more between them than just a physical attraction. Which left them with what?